


Yet

by helsinkibaby



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fainting, Fluff, Het, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:54:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24795001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: An attack at a crime scene leads to a revelation for Steve.
Relationships: Noelani Cunha/Steve McGarrett
Comments: 9
Kudos: 29
Collections: 1 Million Words' Weekend Challenge





	Yet

**Author's Note:**

> For the weekend challenge at one million words  
> Prompt :color: navy  
> place: outdoors  
> object: flashlight  
> senses: damp  
> person: performer

“I need you to promise me that you’re not going to attack the officers.” Steve didn’t say anything to Danny, just kept walking, his gaze fixed straight ahead, his jaw clamped tightly shut. “It’s outdoors, Steve. It’s a crime scene in the middle of the damn jungle, there’s no way they could have cleared every square inch of this place. We were lucky it wasn’t worse.” 

The beam from Danny’s flashlight bounced around as he waved his hands around, making Steve’s stomach twist with motion sickness. Or maybe it wasn’t that, he thought to himself. His stomach had been in knots ever since they were halfway to the crime scene and they’d got word that the attacker had still been hiding in the undergrowth, had rushed the scene, making a beeline for Noelani. One of the uniforms had managed to get a shot off, stopping the guy in his tracks, but Duke hadn’t been able to tell Steve how badly hurt she was, and he knew he wouldn’t rest easy until he saw her with his own two eyes. 

“Look.” Danny pointed ahead and when Steve followed his gaze, he saw the welcome glow of klieg lights. “We’re almost there.” 

Much as Steve had put his foot to the floor after taking Duke’s call, he sped up his footsteps, blinking in surprise when they entered the clearing and the first thing he saw was Noelani kneeling beside a body. 

“Don’t look at me, Steve.” Duke was at his side in an instant, almost like he’d been expecting him. Which of course he had been. “I tried to call another ME. She refused to let me.” 

“Stubborn,” Danny muttered. “Now there’s a surprise.” 

Steve was half tempted to throw a glare in Danny’s direction but worry over Noelani won out. Ignoring his partner completely, nodding at Duke in understanding, he crossed over to Noelani, squatting down beside her. “How are you doing?” he asked, keeping his voice low, trying not to notice how her skin looked paler than usual against the navy ME’s overalls she wore. He would blame the strong lights - they turned everyone into Casper’s nearest relative - but the livid bruising on the side of her face was dark and ugly. He knew better than to reach out to touch her though - after all, they were on the clock. 

She didn’t even look at him, her gaze fierce on the body in front of her. “I’m fine, Commander.” Her use of his title told him plenty, as did the clipped tone she used. Her jaw was clenched as tight as her fingers were around her pen and as she spoke, she made a notation on her clipboard, her penmanship slow and careful. Steve’s stomach twisted again. This was not the Noelani he was used to seeing. 

Glancing from side to side, he noted that everyone was very carefully not looking in their direction. “Noelani, you’re hurt.” 

She still didn’t look up. “Did you or Sergeant Lukela go to medical school? Because I’m pretty sure I did so I can tell you, I’m fine. I just got pushed over, that’s all.” Except it had been a little more than that and they both knew it. 

“We can get another ME out here...”

“And in the time it takes for that to happen, evidence will degrade. We both know it. We need to find something to link this man with the man who...” Her voice trailed off and she swallowed hard, pressing her lips together before she looked up at him, a horrible forced smile on her lips. “The show must go on, right?” 

“You’re not a performer,” he pointed out. 

“Look, I’m almost done here.” She made to stand up and he followed suit. He was keeping a close eye on her and he was quickly glad of it, because her face, already pale, turned at least five shades paler as she rose and she swayed alarmingly. Steve reacted quickly, his hands shooting out to her waist as the pen and clipboard clattered to the forest floor, Noelani’s eyes rolling back in her head as she collapsed against him. 

Steve must have made some kind of noise because Duke and Danny were beside him in an instant as he moved Noelani a couple of feet away from the body - he knew that when she woke up, she’d give him hell if he’d let her disturb the body and possibly contaminate evidence. He cradled her against his chest, holding her close as Danny shouted for a medic - a vain hope, none had been called as you didn’t need medics for a body dump - but Noelani’s eyelids were already fluttering open by then. Her eyes met his and she frowned, clearly trying to make sense of what had happened and he was barely aware of Danny clapping him on the shoulder before moving away. 

Noelani’s eyes shut again and she let out a long breath, her tongue reaching out to run along dry lips. Steve brushed a tendril of hair back from her temple, frowning as he felt it damp and clammy with sweat. “Hey,” he murmured, keeping his voice low. “You back with me?” 

A faint groan indicated assent. “It’s okay,” he murmured, continuing to stroke her cheek. “Take your time.” A bottle of water appeared over his shoulder, disappearing just as quickly. Looking up, he saw Danny twisting off the lid before handing it back down to him. He lifted one eyebrow in question and Steve nodded, tilting his head in the direction they’d come in. 

Thankfully, Danny understood his wordless question. “Go,” he mouthed. “We got this.” 

Knowing that Lou and Tani were on their way, Steve nodded again before turning his attention back to Noelani. “Here, take a sip.” She turned her head away and he frowned, before he remembered his basic first aid. “All right,” he allowed. “Just wet your lips, sweetheart...”

She let him bring the bottle to her lips, tilt it just enough that she caught some of the liquid on her tongue, ran it around her lips. Even that small action seemed to exhaust her and she sank back against him, almost nuzzling her head into his chest. Steve held her tighter, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “You’re getting checked out at the hospital,” he told her. “No arguments.” 

“Okay.” The word was a bare breath and that told him plenty about how she was feeling. 

He let the work of the crime scene go on without them, waited until the new medical examiner arrived, Lou and Tani not long behind them. Only then did he try to help her up. “C’mon... let’s get you out of here.” 

She insisted on walking away from the crime scene, which he understood, even if he wasn’t crazy about the way that she was leaning heavily on him. It was a much slower walk back to Danny’s car than it had been on the way over and when Noelani stopped, her breathing laboured, Steve didn’t think twice. 

It wasn’t the first time he’d scooped her up in his arms, carried her bridal style somewhere. 

It was the first time she hadn’t laughed when he did it. 

He kept a close eye on her all the way to the hospital, didn’t leave her side even when the doctor told him to and to be fair, once the doctor saw the look on Steve’s face when he suggested it, he didn’t push the issue. The diagnosis was better than he’d anticipated, no concussion at least, and Noelani seemed a good deal more alert as they made their way back to the car park, though not quite back to normal. That, Steve knew, was probably more to do with the thumping headache she no doubt had but was trying to ignore. 

He brought her back to his place, smiling despite himself as she dropped down on the couch and Eddie padded straight over to her, pushing his nose into her leg with a little whine. The faintest hint of a smile crossed Noelani’s lips as she reached out her hand to rub between his ears. Knowing she was in safe hands, Steve went into the kitchen, poured her a glass of water and came back to find her just where he’d left her. “Here,” he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the bottle of pills they’d given him before leaving the hospital. “Let’s get some of these industrial strength painkillers into you...” She opened her mouth to protest but he didn’t let her start, never mind finish. “And yes, you will take them. Don’t be stubborn.” 

Her lips twitched, the way they did when she was teasing him and trying to keep a straight face. He decided to take that as a good sign. “You don’t like it when someone steals from your playbook.” 

It wasn’t a question and he didn’t treat it as such. “You’re not a McGarrett yet,” he reminded her, freezing as he realised what he’d said. It came a split second before she realised the same thing, if the way her hand stilled on Eddie’s fur was any indication. 

Then her gaze grew softer, her smile wider. “Yet?” she asked and he was very tempted to backtrack, pretend she’d misheard, blame it all on her not-quite concussion. 

Then he remembered that long walk through the jungle, not knowing what he was going to find at the end of it. 

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Yet.” His gaze met hers, strong and steady. “That okay with you?” 

Her smile was bright, brilliant even. “Yes,” she said simply. 

He returned her smile with one of his own as he sat down beside her, held out his palm to her. “Take your medicine.” 

It might not have been gold and diamonds but that didn’t seem to matter to her. And when he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, resting his cheek on top of her head, it didn’t matter to him either.


End file.
